Celtics 2-9 Mavericks, 10:09 left, 1st quarter
Dončić scores again. Celtics call timeout.
Celtics 2-7 Mavericks, 10:35 left, 1st quarter
Al Horford barely contests the tipoff, and Dallas quickly go out in front with a Kyrie Irving layup. Horford hits a jumper at the other end, but Dončić hits a 3-pointer. Then it’s a turnover and a Dallas layup, and just as in Game 2, the Mavs are out in front early.
Tipoff … has happened.
Starters are the usual groups of five.
Quick reminder: Porzingis isn’t the only injured player in this series. Luka Dončić was clearly hobbling at times in Game 2, even as he kept hitting fadeaway jumpers on one leg.
Tipoff … eventually, I’m sure.
Justin Lyons is playing a Hendrix-infused guitar solo rendition of the national anthem. Don’t see that every day.
Never tell me the odds …
As far as I can tell, the Mavericks are slight favorites tonight at home. The spread is either 1.5 points or 2.5 points or 3.5 points, the Mavericks are even money or -145 to win, the Celtics are -120 but the moneyline says they’re +125.
Math education in this country must be better than people think, because gambling is complicated.
Elsewhere in the world at the moment …
Christian Pulisic has provided a free-kick equalizer for the US men against Brazil as they try to regain their confidence after that game against Colombia.
You might be able to catch the end of West Indies vs. New Zealand in the T20 Cricket World Cup after this game ends.
Roger Daltrey is performing a few miles away from me. I have no idea how people play rock shows at that age. I’m more than 25 years younger, and I’m wiped out after an hour on stage.
Porzingis status update …
He’s out.
Will that make the Celtics vulnerable here?
Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends …
The world has probably run out of jokes about how long the NBA playoffs run, but I’ll see if I can come up with any more.
“After such a long absence, can the NBA compete with the USA’s newfound love of cricket?”
“The breaks in this schedule are so long, all the players who only went to college for one year have their PhDs now.”
“Anyone who remembers the NBA regular season is collecting Social Security by now.”
Anyway – game time is allegedly 8:30 pm ET. What shall we chat about until then?
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s some injury news coming into tonight’s game:
Kristaps Porziņģis hasn’t played a game in Dallas since the Mavericks traded him two years ago, and now it is uncertain if he will play there in Game 3 of the NBA Finals for the Boston Celtics.
Porziņģis has a rare tendon injury in his lower left leg, which occurred in the third quarter of Boston’s 105-98 victory for a 2-0 series lead. The team said on Tuesday that he was day-to-day, and Porziņģis said he will do everything he can to play Wednesday night.
Asked if it was a pain-tolerance problem or if he could do more damage, Porziņģis said he didn’t know the specifics.
“That’s something I’ll leave in the medical staff’s hands to determine whether I can go or not,” he said. “Nothing is going to stop me unless I’m told I’m not to, or not allowed to play. That’s the only reason I would not be out there.”
The 7ft 2inch Latvian center has a tear in tissue that holds tendons in place. The Celtics said it was unrelated to the right calf strain that sidelined him for 10 consecutive playoff games before he returned last Thursday for the start of the NBA Finals.
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